The Proposal

by Diane Craver

  “Another reason I have to wait to build is because I made another big purchase.” He gave her a pleased look. “It’s the surprise I told you about on the phone.”

  She sighed. It looked like her proposal would follow the land news. She should be happy Brad wanted to build a house, but if he planned on her being his wife, why hadn’t he asked her opinion about anything? “It sounds like you’ve been busy.”

  He stood and pulled her up from the sofa. “I can’t wait until you see it. It’s outside. Get your coat and we’ll just leave early for the restaurant.”

  She wasn’t getting an engagement ring. Seeing it outside definitely couldn’t be a ring, but had to be a new car. How could she have been so stupid and thought that was what Brad hinted at during their phone conversations? Instead of seeing his purchase, she felt like crying. “Okay, I’ll get my coat,” she mumbled. She grabbed the first jacket she saw in the closet. Maybe Brad will give me a ring for Christmas. It could still happen, she thought.

  As they stepped outside, she saw the big surprise─a huge red truck was in her driveway. “Your surprise is a truck.”

  He gave an enthusiastic nod. “Isn’t it great? I’ve always wanted a truck. I paid cash for it so that wiped out my savings.”

  She stared in shock. “It’s nice, Brad. But we need to talk. Let’s go back inside.”

  He put his arm around her shoulders. “What’s wrong, baby doll? You love the outdoors. I thought you, Alex, and I can go camping this summer. And the truck will be great when we go on a honeymoon and go camping. It’ll be easy to take our bicycles with us too.”

  Her jaw dropped at the word honeymoon. Was he assuming they were engaged? “Brad, you’ve never proposed to me.”

  “Well, not officially but I planned on proposing in a few years. I’ve said I loved you several times.” He gave her an uneasy glance before exhaling a deep breath. “Yeah, I think we should go back inside.”

  Lazy snowflakes floated all around them. It was the first snowfall of the season. She loved the beauty of falling snow. Before the snowplows went through and disturbed the snow, she liked gazing at the countryside with its pure white covering. But it wouldn’t be necessary for the road crew to be out tonight. The weatherman said only a dusting of snow was expected. She threw her head back to feel the flakes on her face. It gave her a minute to process Brad’s disappointing surprise... He apparently had money to blow on land and a truck. And the audacity of him to say the truck would be perfect for their honeymoon.

  “I didn’t think it was supposed to snow.”

  “Just an inch,” she said in a controlled voice.

  He frowned. “I need to tell you something.”

  Once back in the living room, she sat in her dad’s recliner, staring at Brad. What Brad wanted to tell her could wait. She needed to unload her feelings first. “I might as well be honest with you. I thought the surprise was going to be an engagement ring.”

  His gray eyes widened at her. “Why would you think that?”

  “Well, you showed me your house plan in September and have told me over and over how much you love me and miss me. You also mentioned how much Alex and I both would like the surprise. I thought it was your way of saying that we’d be a family.” She paused for a moment. “And you said it cost enough. Engagement rings are expensive. Not that you have to pay a lot for mine.”

  “I haven’t realized you were the one for me until recently. I’ve narrowed the playing field to you now. I guess I should tell you that I went out with someone I work with a few times. It made me realize that you’re the one I want to marry.”

  “You went out with someone else. I can’t believe you did that. We had an understanding that we wouldn’t see anyone else.”

  He shrugged. “It just happened. She kept hitting on me, and I was feeling a little bit uncertain about us.” He patted a spot next to him on the couch. “Please, Jacqueline, sit by me. I hate you sitting across the room from me.”

  Instead of moving by Brad, she paced in front of the fireplace and glared at him. “Did you kiss your fellow worker?”

  Looking flustered, he said, “Not much. Maybe once or twice.”

  “I guess I must be the better kisser.”

  “Jacqueline, don’t look at me like that. I do love you. My plan’s always been to get married around age thirty-four. I’ve never wanted to get married in my twenties.”

  “That’s eight years away. You can’t be serious.” She gave him a small smile. “I don’t want to be too old when I have children.”

  A startled expression crossed his face. “Children. I thought we’d travel a lot. Just the two of us.”

  “We can take our kids with us on our camping trips.”

  “I don’t plan on always going camping. I want us to enjoy other countries. I want to travel a lot. I thought you did too. It’ll be a hassle to travel to Europe and exotic places with little ones in tow.”

  “But you’re close to your brother and sister.”

  “Probably because I took care of them. I was their babysitter while Mom and Dad both worked all the time to put clothes on our backs and food on the table.” He threw his hands up in the air. “We can decide the kid issue later.”

  She never dreamed Brad thought they’d be childless. “I guess another reason you want to wait is because you don’t want to share a house with Alex.”

  “Alex’s a great kid but he’s another reason we need to put off marriage. Think about it. You said that your parents saved enough money for Alex’s first year of college. You make little as a social worker. Alex will definitely get financial assistance with your low income, but if we get married then my income will hurt him. He’ll have trouble getting college loans.”

  “Alex’s super smart. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets a college scholarship. And he can work in the summers to help pay for his education. Would you like to hear what my marriage plan has always been?” she said sarcastically. She hoped it’d sink in that he expected her to go along with all his plans, and hadn’t bothered to ask her opinion about anything. “I’ve always thought that twenty-six is a good age to get married.”

  “That’s too soon. We can’t rush into marriage. I want us to have a nice house and to be financially secure when we get married.”

  She stopped pacing. “We don’t need a new house. We could live here.”

  “I don’t want to live in Huntington. I love Chicago.”

  So much for thinking Brad might transfer to Huntington. Did she love Brad enough to move to Chicago and to wait eight years to get married? That was a lifetime.

  “Where’s Alex,” Brad asked.

  “He went to a movie with friends.”

  “I can’t wait for him to see my truck. He’ll like it.” His face because serious. “You know, Jacqueline, trucks are a guy thing. I’m sorry I thought you’d be excited about it.”

  “I have my dad’s truck. Remember? I use it to pull Gypsy’s horse trailer.”

  He glanced at his watch. “We better leave. We can talk more in the truck.”

  She probably should keep her mouth shut, so the evening could be salvaged. But she couldn’t. Some things needed to be pointed out to Brad. “Oh yes, let’s go in the truck…the big birthday surprise. I’ve learned so many new things about you this evening. You bought land in a subdivision without mentioning it to me, you kissed another woman, you don’t want any kids, and you decided what we’ll do on our honeymoon. I just realized you have a controlling personality.”

  “Not controlling. I’m just sensible.” He walked to her, kissed her on the cheek and gave her a hug. “I love you. We’ll work everything out.”

  She locked the front door before pulling it shut after them. I could tell Brad how he wasn’t the only one experimenting with kissing someone else. Just thinking about Tyler’s hot kisses made her heart race. But if she did tell Brad, she’d have to mention how much she enjoyed Tyler’s lips on hers.

  Chapter Six

  After Thanksgivin
g dinner and taking Grandma back to her own house, Jacqueline stood in the dining room and fingered the lovely bracelet with blue glass beads. Brad’s mother made all kinds of jewelry…rings, earrings, and necklaces. She sold them in her beauty shop. Although she appreciated Mrs. Day’s thoughtfulness in giving her a birthday gift, she was still disappointed that Brad’s surprise was a truck. It was his money and he was entitled to spend it on whatever his heart desired, but apparently he never thought of getting her anything special for her birthday. That bothered her a lot. Sure, he took her to dinner and flowers were delivered on her birthday, but she had expected a personal gift. Troubling, too, was how Brad only seemed interested in talking about his land and truck purchases during dinner. Not once during the evening had Brad asked her about her job.

  He assumed many things about their relationship and made decisions on what he wanted for their lives. After their dinner last night, Brad said if he got a Christmas bonus, he’d buy her an engagement ring. He also said they could get married after Alex graduated from high school. He didn’t want to go into debt for a ring which she completely understood, but she saw red when he still wanted to be apart for the next three years. Alex was only a sophomore so it’d be three years before he graduated.

  Tyler squeezed her shoulder. “Hey, what’s taking you so long? Alex said you were back from taking your Grandma home. I need my best football player on the field.”

  “I just finished wiping off the table. I wish Grandma would’ve wanted to stay for dessert, but your mom fixed her a nice plate of goodies.” Could Tyler possibly look any hotter today? Even in faded jeans and an old Notre Dame sweatshirt, he managed to be good-looking.

  “You were quiet during dinner. Are you feeling okay?”

  “I had trouble sleeping last night.”

  “Yeah, Brad complained a little that you were unhappy with him.”

  Brad went to Tyler’s to spend the night after watching a movie at her house. She smiled slightly. “I bet he complained more than a little.”

  “He was upset about you not being excited about eventually moving to Chicago. I told him you’re a small town girl at heart.”

  “Did he mention that I don’t want to wait years to get married? And that he doesn’t want children?”

  “Both subjects did come up.”

  “Oh Tyler, I couldn’t sleep last night because I realized that Brad and I aren’t in agreement about lots of stuff. I can’t believe I didn’t see it before. I guess love is blind.”

  “So what are you going to do? Tell Brad it’s over or adapt to what he wants.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not sure. The bad thing is he’s still leaving for Chicago on Saturday. He promised his parents he’d be home over the weekend before flying back to work on Monday.”

  He stepped behind her, and rubbed her shoulders. “Relax. I trust you to make the right decision. And you know what I want that to be.”

  “Your massage feels good. Did you happen to spill the beans about how much you love me?”

  “You kidding. He was already upset with me. He said I should’ve told him that you wanted an engagement ring for your birthday.”

  Alex entered the room. “I told the others that I bet you two were together, but don’t worry, I didn’t say anything about you being kissing buddies.”

  She rolled her eyes at Alex. “You’re not a bit funny.”

  “Come on,” Alex ordered. “We’re getting cold outside waiting on you two.”

  “Well, the game was also delayed because Annette was a no show.” Tyler shoved his hands in his pockets. “I guess she wasn’t into me as much as you hoped.”

  She put her new bracelet on top of the hutch. She didn’t want to wear it while playing football. “Annette didn’t realize her mother planned on a late dinner this year.”

  * * *

  The huge front yard was perfect for football, and the previous night’s snowfall wasn’t a problem. It barely covered the grass. Jacqueline loved breathing in the cold, crisp air. It felt good to be outside and feel the sun on her face. She played on the team with Tyler, Alex, and Tyler’s cousin, Danny. Brad, Tyler’s brother, Eric and his wife Stephanie, plus cousin, Rob, made up the opposing team.

  “They’re beating us. We can’t let them happen,” Tyler said in the huddle with his three players. “We need to score a touchdown this time.”

  Jacqueline said to Tyler, “Fake a pass to Alex, then toss it to me. I’m a fast runner. Brad won’t dare tackle me.”

  Tyler didn’t look happy at her suggestion. “I’m not worried about Brad, but Eric plays nasty. He’ll definitely want to tackle you. We need to make sure we hustle. After I throw you the ball, I’ll block anyone who tries to bring you down.”

  They broke the huddle and got in their positions. Tyler raised his arm and looked at Alex. She watched her brother run and put his hands up in the air. Suddenly, Tyler left go of the football and she caught it. She ran hard and picked up even more speed when she saw Brad charging at her. I’m not going to let my boyfriend tackle me.

  Excitement pumped through her when she made it to the end zone. She turned to do a victory dance when suddenly Brad ran into her, hitting her hard in the abdomen. She went down with a thud.

  A spasm whipped through her diaphragm. She couldn’t breathe and it hurt like hell. Tyler kneeled beside her on the ground. “You took a hard blow to your body. I’m going to see if I feel anything.” He put his hand under her sweatshirt.

  Brad joined them on the ground. “Get your hand off her. She’s my girlfriend. Let me near her.”

  Tyler glared at Brad. “You’re a jerk. She was in the end zone when you tackled her.”

  “I obviously didn’t realize she’d already scored when I knocked her down.” Brad reached to grab Jacqueline’s hand.

  “Man, don’t touch her, “ Tyler said angrily. “I’m the doctor here.”

  Brad laughed. “You’re not a doctor. You’re just a physician’s assistant.”

  “Is this where it hurts,” Tyler asked as he moved his hand gently over her torso. At her nod, he said, “When you get hit in the abdomen, you have a spasm for a few seconds. That’s why you’re having trouble breathing. You’ll be able to breathe when the spasm stops.”

  Alex said, “Sis, that was a beautiful touchdown, but sorry you got hurt.”

  “Honey,” Tyler said tenderly, “you can stay down or I can help you walk around. Your muscle cramp is like a charley horse of your diaphragm.”

  “Why the hell did you call her honey?” Brad demanded.

  “Because I love her, you idiot.”

  Alex grinned at Jacqueline. “I told you that you’d have two guys fighting over you.”

  “So that’s why you seemed thrilled things didn’t go well between us last night.” Brad raised his fist at Tyler. “I should pound you into the ground. I bet you’ve been trying to turn Jacqueline against me.”

  She better get up before Alex’s prediction came true. “Tyler, help me up, please. There’s too much testosterone racing around here.”

  “Babe, let me take care of you,” Brad said to her.

  “You know something, Brad. I don’t like being called babe or baby doll. And remind me to never play football with you again.”

  “I didn’t mean to hit you like that. I feel terrible. I was caught up in the moment.”

  “Hey, let’s go eat dessert,” Eric suggested.

  Stephanie chimed in, “That’s a great idea.”

  * * *

  Jacqueline sipped her hot chocolate and noticed Brad’s silence. She shouldn’t have gotten angry at him about hitting her so hard. She could tell that he’d been worried about her. One good thing came out of the football game… It was out in the open about Tyler’s feelings for her.

  “I’m glad you suggested we come back here to talk.” What she had to tell Brad would be painful, so it was better they were alone in her house. She put her cup on the end table and turned to face him.

  “After you
left to take Alex to his friend’s house, Tyler and I talked briefly. He apologized for not telling me right off the bat how he felt about you. Apparently when you thought I was getting you a ring, he got worried about where our relationship was going.” Brad exhaled a deep breath. “I never dated much in high school and college. I was always shy around girls. You were the first woman I could talk to so easily. You helped boost my ego. I thought we had something special, but today I saw how you look at Tyler.”

  “Did Tyler also tell you about our prom night when I told him I loved him?”

  He shook his head. “No, he didn’t mention it.”

  She then explained how hurt she’d felt when Tyler hadn’t returned her love. She’d buried her feelings for Tyler, but recently she’d liked it when he kissed her, and she knew in her heart that she’d never really gotten over Tyler. At this point, there wasn’t a reason to tell Brad how kissing Tyler ignited strong passion inside her. Kissing Brad was sweet but definitely didn’t cause the same explosive currents to run through her body, like Tyler’s kisses did. “I couldn’t sleep last night. I thought a lot about us and how we don’t want the same things out of life. I want children. And I’m a small town girl. I’ve never wanted to live in a big city like Chicago.”

  “I wish I hadn’t bought any land.”

  She held his hand and looked directly into his eyes. “It’s not your fault. After my parents died, I was a mess. It was comfortable having you as a boyfriend. I loved your phone calls when we couldn’t see each other often. And I always looked forward to seeing you, but when you think about it, we haven’t actually spent that much time together.”

  He nodded. “My job requires long days and lots of traveling, but I’m hoping that will change in a few years as I move up the ladder. Maybe we can still work things out between us.”

  “Brad, I wish you every bit of success in your career, but even if we spend more time together, I don’t think it’d help. We aren’t meant to be a couple.” Her eyes became moist. “But I don’t regret anything. I’m richer for having known you. You’re a great guy and I wish you the best.”